


Grindelwald's Return

by theAbleAsterisk



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chaptered, Deviates From Canon, Duelling, Elder Wand (Harry Potter), Gen, Hogwarts, Magic, Magical Combat, Malfoy Manor, Nurmengard, for the greater good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theAbleAsterisk/pseuds/theAbleAsterisk
Summary: What happens when Gellert Grindelwald is suddenly thrust into the very moment his greatest enemy and friend dies? Thrown into a world he is not prepared for, Grindelwald find old allies quickly to stand against the might of Voldemort and the Order of Phoenix. This is my first story so read and enjoy.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. The Only One He Ever Feared

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello Guys, this is my first work on AO3 so let me know how it goes by writing reviews! I have messed around with the rules of magical combat a little bit because I feel like duelling wasn't explained very well in the books. I'll try and update on a set timetable especially since I have more time at home now...

Grindelwald opened his eyes. Soft grass covered his body. Far above him, an unidentified mark hung in the sky. _Where am I?_ The stormy sky revealed nothing. The night was alive with sounds and when he turned around he came face to face to with a stone wall. His usually calm mind churned viciously searching for an answer. He looked up, tracing the wall with his eyes until he realised he was at the bottom of a tower. Behind the tower, a majestic castle unfolded, all lit up, its grounds empty and deserted. It troubled Grindelwald. Where was he? He had never been here before but he had somehow seen it before. He staggered towards the wall and traced it with his fingertips sensing the ancient magic guarding it. _How many castles like this existed in the Wizarding World?_ Not many contained ancient magic in their walls. And not many were occupied by hundreds of young wizards and witches. His brain confirmed what his heart already knew: _This is Hogwarts._

The realisation struck him hard. How had he gotten from Nurmengard, his impenetrable fortress, to here? Except it wasn't as impenetrable as he had thought. Pushing the memories out of his head, he turned around surveying the landscape. The castle was fully alight and beckoned welcomingly to Grindelwald's weary body. _Why was he so tired?_ He could scarcely remember a time he had felt so... _broken_. In the corner of his mind, something was tingling, struggling to be heard. _His instincts_. Shaking off his tiredness, he closed his eyes and felt the area around him. With the absence of his wand, he would have to improvise. Dark magic was used here.

Something bad had happened here. Something that should not be possible. His keen eyes suddenly caught something. It was a dark shadow almost blending in the trees behind it. Grindelwald crept up to it, his bare feet scarcely making a noise. It was a body. 

Grindelwald had seen hundreds of bodies in the past six years especially in the bloody battles on the eastern front so wasn't too surprised to see yet another one. Although not all bodies seemed familiar: his senses were screaming at him. The man on the ground looked small and old; broken. His body crumpling inwards as if something inhumane had stuck him in the chest. Probably the killing curse, Grindelwald mused. But why would the killing curse be used at a school? Kneeling over him, Grindelwald's breath was snatched away from him as he finally recognised the body. _Albus Dumbledore._

* * *

Thousands of miles away, in the forests of Germany, two towers jutted out in the night sky. It was an impressive, formidable building that had repelled an entire generation of aurors. The building had in the past been used as a fortress, headquarters and now a prison, one after the other. It was entirely made of Actonious and a great deal of powerful magic. The famed alchemist Nicholas Flamel was said to have created the legendary substance that would go on to defend it. Sadly, the secret recipe to Actonious was stolen the night Flamel was supposed to announce it to the world. And to no one's surprise, it happened to appear on the headquarters of the Most Dangerous Dark Wizard of all time.

Nurmengard was currently a mess. Dementors swarmed over the fortress searching in the vain hope of finding the solitary prisoner that lived there. Within minutes of the disappearance of the prisoner, there were loud cracks at the gates of Nurmengard. Aurors with their wands pointed entered the famed building, their nerves on edge expecting the Dark prisoner to jump out any second and kill them, as he had killed their fathers and mothers. Leading them was the German Chancellor of Magic who had lost his mother and both uncles during the reign of terror of the single prisoner. Sweat fell off his brow as he motioned for his guards to advance. There was a noise, like the patter of feet. He spun around quickly firing off multiple detection spells. But Gellert Grindelwald was not there.

* * *

Grindelwald's eyes widened and he backed away from the body. He wasn't sure what he should feel. Happiness now that his enemy was dead? Regret at the passing of a great intellectual? There was something really wrong with the body: Albus was an old man.

There could only be one explanation: Grindelwald was in the future. _How could this be possible?_

And then another thought struck him like a truck: _Who had killed Albus?_ Albus Dumbledore was a being of immense power. It was almost impossible to kill him and if Grindelwald— Dumbledore's equal— couldn't kill him, then who had? Grindelwald gritted his teeth, contemplating waiting to find the wizard or witch that killed Albus. He could then finish them off like a vulture descending at the end of a long hunt...

_No!_

That was the mistake that had led to his defeat at Albus's hands. _The same Albus who was now lying at his feet._

Getting to his feet, Grindelwald turned over the bizarre situation in his head. His army had been cut off just as the final days of the war in Europe were drawing to a close. Knowing that the end was perhaps near, he retreated to Nurmengard as allies were too far to help him and new enemies sprung up like heads on a Hydra. The fortress had held for a remarkable six hours considering the few loyal men he had with him. Grindelwald always knew that he could simply apparate when the war turned sour, and emerge a decade later with his strength conserved. But there was something different in the air that day. It turned out to be Albus Dumbledore. Albus had strode out to meet him after all those years. All those crucial battles fought and enemies killed and ministries toppled and Albus had done nothing. Until now.

Grindelwald had raised his wand and duelled well... and he had lost. It was one of the most damning moments of his life: being at the mercy of another wizard. Albus had rested his wand at Grindelwald's forehead for a long moment. The two men were silent: each knew what the other would have said. And then the world turned black.

When he had regained consciousness, he was hundreds of miles away in a country he had despised because of one man. And that one man was lying dead at his feet.

Giving a dark chuckle, Grindelwald mulled his options. He couldn't stay here; somebody was bound to come here and wandless he would be no match if a teacher found him. He needed a wand. Searching Albus for a wand would obviously be a waste of time; Albus would have never died with a wand in his hand. Or would he? Grindelwald closed his eyes searching for a wand, any wand that was close by. _Surely there would be nothin-_

Grindelwald gasped. It couldn't be. Dropping down to the ground, his frantic hands searched the grass desperately. _Surely, it was not here. The wand that he lost only hours ago could not be here._ But it was. Lying in the grass alongside arguably the most powerful wizard in the world was the most powerful wand in existence. Grindelwald's hands slowly closed over the Elder Wand.

It was cold to the touch but Grindelwald did not care. The Elder Wand had served hundreds of powerful wizards and witches over the course of its lifetime but rarely did it come under the control of the same wizard twice.

A slow smile spread across the face of Grindelwald. He rolled his shoulders back, the wand firmly in his hand and immediately moved his hand in a long, sweeping motion. The wand obeyed the master. A thin piece of cloth materialised out of the air. It floated gently on the wind and came to rest over Albus Dumbledore's body. Grindelwald laughed aloud and pointed the wand at the sky. Green light shot from the end of the wand and rocketed up into the sky. It split in mid-air and carried on moving at speed towards its many destinations. Grindelwald stared at it hopefully, it was unlikely any of his followers would still exist to receive his message.

Grindelwald's shoulders stiffened in the cool night. _I need to get out of here._

Just at that second, there were bright flashes as a boy appeared far out in the fields of Hogwarts. Grindelwald strode towards him, immediately disillusioning himself to watch the spectacle. He was shouting and cursing in the night at a group of individuals.

The boy stepped forward, his body trembling from anger. He fired off a bunch off jinxes that the man with the flapping robe easily deflected.

A woman with curly hair gave a mirthless laugh. Casually, she twitched her hand and the boy was blasted backwards in a flash of light. The light illuminated his forehead for just a second. Grindelwald frowned. A jagged scar was visible on his forehead. A clear sign of dark magic being performed on him, probably at a very early age.

The boy bounced off the floor, his eyes burning with hatred. He shrugged off the pain and followed the group.

_Sectumsempra!_

Grindelwald frowned for a second time. It was a spell which despite his extensive knowledge Grindelwald had never come across.

The man with the flapping robe deflected it easily once more. He stalked towards the boy.

"Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward-" the boy spat out.

"DON'T- CALL ME A COWARD!"

Grindelwald pondered on this for a second as the man cast a particularly impressive whipping spell. The boy was thrown backwards as if his legs had been snatched from underneath him. The man was holding back though, Grindelwald sensed. _Why was he-_

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light and a detection spell came at him.

_You imbecile! Pay attention to your surroundings!_

Grindelwald quickly disguised his face with an annoyed gesture. He was committed; there was no way he could leave without causing a mess.

The thick-muscled blond man had cast the spell and it was he who Grindelwald turned his attention to first. His wand rested in his hand with an easiness that few possessed. This group of wizards and witches were not ordinary. Clearly, they were mercenaries.

Grindelwald quickly brought his wand down, his wand slicing through the air and hopefully, flesh. But the blond man was too fast. He stumbled backwards and cried out:

"There's someone here!"

His companions stared at Grindelwald curiously.

"Didn't realise Hogwarts had such nutcase Professors? Hiding from Death Eaters? Must have a death wish," the curly-haired witch remarked to the amusement of her companions.

Grindelwald's reply was swift. In one motion, two of the group were on the floor. Grindelwald, however, was taken aback. All of them should be on the floor.

One of the 'Death Eaters', perhaps much stupider than the others cried out: _"Avada Ked-_

Grindelwald blasted the man so hard that he simply disintegrated. It never stopped amazing Grindelwald how wizards would stop in the middle of a fight and say a tongue twister such as _Avada Kedavra._ His companion stared at the space his comrade had once been and at that moment he was screaming as fires crept up his robes, and more importantly his wand.

Their smiles died quickly and the witch snarled, quickly pulling the group into the traditional V that was assumed in battle.

The wizard with the flapping robe, presumably the most powerful of the Death Eaters had taken the important role of being behind the V, while the witch spear-headed the V.

Grindelwald grinned at the possibility of an interesting fight. He waved his left hand. The boy was lifted off his feet and into the centre of the group. The woman grunted and pushed him aside with her wand.

Grindelwald's hands began moving at lightning speed. Duelling was an ancient art and speed was often critical. Equally important was the choice of spells and their quality.

Grindelwald's fluid motions blended into one, his hands carving in the air. Casting intricate gestures with his wand, he gave them no room to attack pressing them further and further back. 

The group buckled as one and the witch gave a surprised shriek at the intensity of magic forced upon her. The sound quickly turned into a snarl as one of her bumbling companions was blasted aside like a child. 

She pressed the tattoo on her arm and cast a quick shield to buy some time for protective charms. The cloudy sky was starting to clear.

"Quick, Severus!" the witch shrieked

The wizard at the back of the V reacted quickly to Grindelwald's jinxes quickly nullifying most of them immediately. At the witch's command, he slammed his wand into the grass. 

Grindelwald threw a counter-charm but it was too late. The ground started shaking and the Earth split apart with a loud crack. From the depths, a shimmery barrier sprang out, forcing Grindelwald back. The witch raised her wand but Grindelwald was faster. 

_"Stupefy!"_

Grindelwald squeezed his wand; testing a magical shield used up a lot of energy.

The red stream passed through the barrier, although it significantly slowed down to such an extent that the witch simply moved out of the way. The witch then pointed her wand at the barrier and unloaded a dozen curses. They passed easily through the barrier.

The witch's face split into a slightly unhinged smile. Grindelwald groaned inwardly.

_That one-way barrier was smart. The wizard at the back, Severus, was clearly skilled which is why the boy believed that he had killed Albus. But he was wrong, wasn't he?_

_Focus on the fight!_

Grindelwald turned his attention into splitting the group. As usual, the barrier did not extend underground. Grindelwald had used this to his advantage countless times. And that was what he did now.

The ground split open once more but this time no barrier sprang out. The grass was torn apart and dirt flung up into the air as the gap widened. Birds in the air cried out in alarm at the unnatural event. Squawking, they fled the castle. Severus backed away, horror clear in his eyes but curiously instead of trying to save his companions he looked towards the unconscious boy. Grindelwald tilted his head. Chunks of the field were beginning to collapse into the hole. The sound of moving Earth was unimaginably loud. One of the companions was too slow to react. The wizard tried to back away, his wand pointed at the hole as if it could help. He was swallowed whole before he had time to scream. The rest of the group had seen enough. 

The remaining wizards took to the air. Their bodies melted into a mist of black smoke and shot upwards, circling the castle several times before fleeing. Grindelwald was impressed; he had never seen anyone move like that.

"The Dark Lord will be here soon!" the witch shouted maniacally across the widening gulf.

Grindelwald did not reply. Severus knelt down by the boy's side. The void was swiftly expanding. Beads of perspiration rolled down the man's neck. Clearly, the fight had sapped him of all energy.

_As it has sapped mine._

Severus gathered the boy in his arms and fled— not away from the castle— but remarkably towards it. The witch was the only one remaining now. 

"He will be here any minute now!" She had retreated backwards. The hole stopped expanding, its magical reserves spent. It extended over twenty metres wide and looked no more than a metre deep, but Grindelwald knew the hole was covered with Banishing charms, killing and removing any bodies unlucky enough to fall in. 

A dark shadow rose from the tower and like a bat swooped over in the night sky to land by the witch. It was Severus. The pair slowly advanced, testing the waters with a quick spell. Grindelwald suddenly felt something behind him. He turned around but he was too slow. Too sluggish and too tired and too slow.

Two Dark curses decorated the entirety of his backside. The Death Eaters had not fled but materialised behind Grindelwald. Crying out in pain, he was flung off his feet. Grindelwald's wand seemed to act of its own accord defending Grindelwald against the various curses fired at him. Slowly, he got to his feet, his jaw clenched. 

Grindelwald slashed his wand in rage, spitting out multiple curses and charms to keep them back. Enraged, his magic was an extension of him. He swung around to face the Death Eaters who had returned. Two more men were blasted aside as Grindelwald began advancing. Their howls could probably be heard in the castle. He smiled. The feeling of familiar power flooded into his veins. 

But as quickly as that power had come, it also flooded away. And suddenly Grindelwald was drained of his power. His hand slowed. His curses seemed to lose their energy and his charms weren't efficient. 

_You idiot! Look what you have done. You've wasted all your magical energy in an unfamiliar environment._

Severus and the witch were the only ones left by now. 

_They were very good. Almost as good as my lieutenants._

If he remained calm, as he'd done for the last half of a century, they would end up like their companions: dead. 

Something was nagging Grindelwald. Grindelwald paused momentarily. Dark Magic. It was heading towards him.

_More friends?_

No, it was a decaying ball of something repulsive. It was not a wizard; it was far too inhumane for that. Its soul had been torn apart again and again. Grindelwald felt the magic protecting the school distort and deform as it approached.

_Where am I? Why is there a group of fanatical wizards at a school? Why is Albus dead? Why is this thing coming for me?_

The questions swirled in Grindelwald's head, colliding and breaking apart into smaller pieces. The questions multiplied exponentially and every possible answer seemed to bring more questions. They crowded his brain drowning out his thoughts. Grindelwald growled his frustration, shaking his head.

_Focus on the fight!_

Gellert Grindelwald never backed out of fights but he could not fight these two and whatever was coming for him. There was a loud bang and a flash, and the Death Eaters backed off their arms covering their face.

When they looked up again, Grindelwald had disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What did you guys think of the first chapter? Please offer any feedback- positive or negative. The next chapter will focus on an OC that used to be a lieutenant of Grindelwald during his peak.


	2. Queensland Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the OC makes his debut. Hope you enjoy his character.

Nine crept up to the large, country house. His footsteps were muffled by the spell he had cast on his shoes. Ceru trailed quietly behind him, his wand in his hand. This was Queensland Manor, an old manor made by a famous wizard who had arrived in Australia back when it was under British control. The manor was lit up tonight in sharp contrast to the Australian wilderness that stretched before it.

The moon was nowhere to be seen in the cloudy sky and Nine edged forward, his wand alight. _Lumos,_ Nine heard Ceru whisper two steps behind him. The light blinded Nine and he glared at Ceru who quickly extinguished the light and began muttering a spell, more discreet but less commonly used _._ Nine shook his head. He had picked up Ceru a few weeks ago when he got in trouble with several Quidditch teams. He was certainly a very adept with his charms and his curses but sometimes Nine got the feeling that he faked his ineptitude to get people to underestimate him.

The first time they had met, Ceru seemed to be incapable of doing simple spells.

“What do you mean your name is Nine? Like the number nine? What’s your actual name?”  
  
“Stop asking questions and just apparate us away from here.”

“Apparate? But…. what if I accidentally splinch you?”

Nine had groaned loudly at the time, cursing his luck at finding such a useless wizard but now that he thought about it…

Hadn’t Ceru apparated here without a sound?

It didn’t matter. Tonight, they were working towards a common goal

Nine reached the entrance and gently pushed the gates open. The wards had been taken care off earlier tonight and the gate was easy to crack for Nine. _Why did the Australian Ministry think this was suitable protection?_ They had grown incompetent with no major threat to their distant shores for the last two centuries. Unlike their European and American counterparts, the Australian Ministry had spent the last few decades in peace. Something didn’t feel right _._ He turned around his senses sniffing for danger but everything was as it seemed.

“Let’s go!” Ceru’s impatient voice hissed at Nine.

Nine waved his wand, searching for any hidden surprises but nothing registered. It was all perfect, all as it should be. The manor’s various rooms were lit up and their presence had not been detected yet. Nor would it if their plan went perfectly.

“Well,” he said straightening up, “Let’s make an entrance.” Nine began moving up the path his Disillusionment charm slowly wearing off, emerging in the night, like a shark breaking the surface of the sea. Ceru chose the more direct route, quickly moving towards the front door.

Together, they charged the door. Their wands flashed as one and the door was thrown off its hinges, its magical protection destroyed. Ceru’s wand attacked the windows, smashing the glass to pieces. He leapt up in a magically-assisted bound and reached the first floor with ease, his wand out in front of him.

Nine moved in through the entrance, his boots sinking in the plush carpet. There was a flicker of magic and Nine reacted instantly, firing a combination of revealing charms and stunning spells. But there no yelps or screams. The room was empty. Nine’s eyebrows shot up.

A blasting spell came out of nowhere; reacting purely on instinct he blocked it before firing a spell in the general direction it came from. Nothing replied from the dark interior of the house.

Suddenly, more came at him in flashes and bangs forcing him to his knees. One after the other, like a relentless train storming ahead. _What? Who—_ No human could do this, not even a whole group of them. It had to be something else. _Impossible._ Could it be a Magical Creature or an ancient machine that would sprout out spells, faster than any wizard? All these thoughts swirled around his head, as his wand twisted and turned, desperate to keep the dance alive. Nine had to turn the tables onto this _thing_ because staying here was going to end in an inevitable defeat. Seeking a respite, he slammed his wand into the ground, leaving it there and creating a quick temporary shield that would hold against the inhuman onslaught for a few much-needed seconds. His knees tensed and he blasted off into the sky, hovering for a few moments.

Free.

But he needed his wand back.

Swooping down, he held out his hand taking deep breaths to summon the wand back to his hand. To his relief, his wand jerkily rose off the ground and into his hand. Nine smiled.

His wand exploded with a jet of flames towards the house. The roof melted under the intense heat, crashing inwards and releasing plumes of smoke that could no doubt be seen even in this remote location. Nine closed his eyes and felt himself drop, the wind whistling in his ears for a few seconds before he crashed through the second floor of the house, his wand protecting him in the fall. Nine got to his feet but before he could react a curse smashed his backside, lifting him off his feet. Nine went straight through a crumbling wall and landed in a lavishly furnished room. The _thing_ moved through the hole in the wall Nine had created. Nine could see it now. It had no form to speak of. There was simply an outline and just pure magic. Nine had heard of such creatures but they were supposed to have died out millennia ago as magic slowly diminished in the world and their purity was too potent to handle. The last of them were hunted by the ancient Egyptians who feared any magical creature stronger than them. _Who could have kept such a thing? It would require a magical event of massive power to get them back in this world._ But Nine did know one thing; this world was too magically deficient to carry them for long. Eventually, this being would disintegrate in a world full of computers and TVs.

The _thing_ moved closer and then leapt at Nine forcing him to bring up his wand as a shield. The _thing_ passed right through it but Nine was ready and leapt back. The _thing_ didn’t pause, Nine swung a sofa, followed by a table in its way before scrambling into the next room. It passed straight through. Suddenly, Ceru was there, his wand flashing various curses. _Where had he been when I was fighting?_

“NO!” shouted Nine, “It _sucks_ up magic. STOP using magic!” Nine then broke his own advice by using his wand to pull Ceru to his side. They ran through the hallway and down a flight of stairs seeking to get out of its way.

“We’ve got to bring the roof down on it,” panted Nine.

“Isn’t that using magic?”

“Yes… but the wood should smother its magic, like a fire.”

As Nine and Ceru exited the manor, they simultaneously threw up a shield at the doorway. Nine, the stronger of the two, held the shield while Ceru ineffectively tried to weaken the manor’s structures by firing fireballs from its wand.

“Hurry up.” It was coming closer to the shield. Ceru was not going to be able to collapse the manor in time. Gritting his teeth, Nine summoned his magical energy and threw it at the _thing_. It recoiled at the unexpected gift and absorbed. Ceru— catching on to the idea— threw his (feeble in Nine’s point of view) magical energy at the _thing_. It was growing bigger and bigger and was absolutely brimming with energy. Nine was sure that the most powerful creature in the world at present was in front of him at that moment. At the edges of the inhumane mass, the energy flickered and spun, catching on to nearby furniture. The energy spread faster than any fire on Earth. It crackled as it leapt from the furniture to the floors to the walls. Objects erupted into dust as soon as the energy fluttered past it. The energy advanced onto the walls, but the old house wasn’t simply protected with walls; magic spells and protection coated the walls preventing damage. Nevertheless, the walls were weakening. The _thing_ had expanded so it filled the entire front hall and was rapidly spreading but the walls were getting weaker and weaker, and at any sec—

The walls crashed down onto the _thing_ smothering its magical energy into a tight supernova-like ball. It tried in vain to break free but the two-hundred year magical walls were too powerful and trapped its energy penting it up in a super dense ball. There was only one way for that pent-up energy to go.

Outwards.

It exploded outwards; its energy smashing through walls, furniture, and the roof.

The Queensland Manor had stood there for two hundred years and was currently a blackened, charred mess. Mini fires sprung up on everywhere regardless whether the material was flammable or not. Furniture lay burning sadly in the corner of ruined rooms.

Striding into the unaffected courtyard, Nine paused for a second and surveyed the burning manor. He winced; a powerful house destroyed by his wand. The authorities would swarm over him, like bees after honey, for the next decade. How could such a routine operation go so disastrously wrong? An image of Ceru rushing in with a picture of the manor sprang into his head. He sighed. Spots swam before his eyes and Nine suddenly felt weak. _Obviously, all that magical energy expended._ Nine closed his eyes but before he could regain control, his mind had started to wander.

* * *

He was transported back to 1939, during Grindelwald’s rampage across Europe. Nine marched through the streets of Warsaw, his wand alert to every danger. To his left and right were his allies, friends, Nine might have called them an hour earlier, but there were no friends in wartime, only enemies and allies. No one was stupid to be on the streets in times such as this but Nine kept his wand out all the same. Only a handful of the Polish ministry men and women remained. They had gone into hiding among Warsaw’s burgeoning muggle population. But, here in the slums, their magical trace would stand out like a bad flier in a quidditch team. 

There was a flicker, and Nine Dashed, his body passing through the stone walls of the house with ease. The muggles in the house cried out with the sudden appearance of a brown-haired English wizard. Nine’s wand flashed and a figure collapsed from the ceiling. The muggles screamed again. The figure cried out at the sight of one of Grindelwald’s senior officers before being promptly knocked out by a stunning spell. Nine walked out of the front door with the unconscious wizard floating behind him. He chuckled to himself at the expression on their faces as he walked the length of the peaceful street.

Just as he reached the end of the street, a wizard walked up to him, “Sir, all magical resistance has been crushed.” Sighing, Nine paused to wipe the sweat dripping of his brow. The wizard waved his wand shooting golden flames into the sky and within seconds there were ten more flames in the air responding in different colours. The battle was over. It had been swift, lethal and utterly unpredictable; just as Grindelwald had planned it a month earlier. Nine wearily apparated back to the rendezvous point.

Grindelwald was in full flow. His ashen face stared at his followers and his hands gestured manically as he outlined his plan to take over magical Europe. _Grindelwald is an amazing public speaker,_ Nine observed for the thousandth time, _just look at how he captivates their attention._

Suddenly, a droning noise filled the sky. _What the hell is that?_ Grindelwald was cut off mid speech. Seemingly unmoved, he pulled out his wand in a single movement and brandished it at the sky, demanding the source of the disturbance. There was no response.

Now everyone in the village had their wands out, all preparing for whatever was going to drop out of the sky. There was no fear in the Storm-wizard’s eyes; the battle was won after all. They were behind some of the most powerful wizards on the planet. What was possibly going to hurt them? A strange flying contraption suddenly burst out of the cloud cover.

 _What the—_ No sooner then when it had appeared, it was shot down by an unseen force and it fell, crashing and burning into a nearby building. The army watched as it spun towards the ground, their wands limply by their side. Grindelwald’s eyes danced with recognition and his voice broke through the stillness that had existed a second earlier.

“The Nazis have begun their attack,” he announced dramatically. The crowd gazed anxiously at each other while Grindelwald’s senior members exchanged quick looks; even Nine was taken back. Who exactly were the _Nazis_?

“The Nazis are muggles, brighter than their fellow counterparts, but muggles all the same. We, while not direct allies with them, agree not to engage with any sort of duelling or as they call it, _warfare._ These measures will protect many of you. They will occupy the ministries of the enemy. The Nazis will push the muggle world to the brink of catastrophe until _we_ step forward, conquerors of Magical Europe to rescue them from their plight. This plane in front of you, is only the start.”

As if to illustrate his point, the sky filled with dozens of the flying contraptions passing over the village and into the heart of Warsaw. Nine watched with his mouth wide open as squadron after squadron passed overhead, dropped their load and left. Screams filled the sky followed by fires, later followed by the sound of gunfire as millions of soldiers would go to battle. Nine thought he knew everything about the world at the age of 24, but the magical world and the muggle world were very different.

* * *

As Nine roused himself from the unexpected memory, Ceru was busying himself by setting up enchantments around the border of the manor. _You stupid fool; you’ve wasted ages in a ministry-owned building that you just burnt down._

“We’ve got to get moving,” Nine announced, “We’ve wasted far too much time here already. Wait… why are you putting up enchantments?” Ceru didn’t respond. Nine frowned. He could read magic extremely well, and although the art was obscure and nothing like reading a book, he immediately picked up traces of a wall. _So they were going to make their stand here? That was such a—_ No, it wasn’t a wall. Nine narrowed his eyes… a cage, it was a cage. Ceru was building a _cage_ for Nine.

Ceru suddenly leapt up and slashed his wand at Nine. The gesture was so unexpected that Nine was dumbfounded as the curse ripped through his body. If he hadn’t taken the time to activate his wards that morning, he would have been slashed in half. Cursing, Nine rolled under a couple of hastily shot curses before rising into the air. Ceru followed him so they were almost face to face with no chance of one firing a spell before the other. In fact, there were so close that Nine could see his own pointed face in Ceru’s stormy eyes. Ceru yelled out a war cry before transfiguring his wand into a dagger aimed at Nine’s heart.

Nine deftly side-stepped. _Why the hell is Ceru attacking me? What have I ever done to him?_ Nine blocked another spell before resuming his contemplation. Ceru clearly was furious so was probably looking for revenge. The rate he was firing these spells perplexed Nine. It was a like a German machine gun. Ceru had not planned this; this was very unusual. He had gone over meticulous detail about what they were going to do once they had attacked the manor. And Ceru could’ve killed Nine at any number of opportunities over the past month. The truth hit Nine. It was a diversion.

Nine smiled at his opponent letting him know that he had seen through their plan before— It didn’t work. Nine gritted his teeth: Anti-apparation charms. They were close. Immediately, Nine turned on the offensive. His wand flashed and darted as he sought to end this fast. It was over in no more than thirty seconds. Ceru might have been a young, quite adept wizard but Nine although having the appearance of a twenty year old had lived five times as long, been to all seven continents and had duelled the greatest wizards of his time including Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. Ceru lay on the floor, his eyes closed, although Nine was pretty sure he was still alive. Nine launched up into the air before promptly crashing into an invisible barrier in the sky. Cursing, he fell thirty metres slowing his fall at the last possible second. They were close to have stopped him from fleeing. He could sense them now. Dusting himself off, he turned around his eyes frantically searching for a good—

A crack cut him off followed by three more. Nine gritted his teeth. Well obviously they weren’t bothering with secrecy and laws. Ordinary men wouldn’t dare to apparate directly into an old formerly well-protected house.

“Hello Gentlemen.” _Crack._ “Who are you? The Ministry? The Syndicate?” _Crack._

The men made no response. Ministry men, then. _Crack._ His wand twitched quietly behind his back creating wards for protection and shields to exhaust magic. _Crack._ They began to mass directly ahead of him and looked English. He studied them closely his eyes pulling them apart searching for their calibre. _Crack._ Their eyes gave nothing away. _Crack._ Definitely Ministry men. And powerful and skilled ones. _Crack._ Definitely European; it was quite easy to tell once you knew what you were looking for, in this instance it was their grip on the wand that gave them away. _Crack._ What were Europeans doing in Australia? And why had Ceru tipped them off? _Crack._

“You are placed under arrest for breaking the International Statue of Secrecy, associating with Gellert Grindelwald, murder, arson, robbery, invasion, using the Unforgivable curses, unlawful mind control —” At that moment there were more cracks cutting the man off.

“If you come calmly—

“Who are you?” Nine interrupted.

“Who we are doesn’t matter— 

“Who are you? How did you find me? I have been at peace for half a century. No ministry has bothered me except for the occasional spy. I have committed no criminal activities.”

“Except for smashing up a house in which an artefact of great power was hidden.”

“Except for that?”

“That alone is enough for us to put you under arrest and potentially send you to the British prison of Azkaban.”

“What about a trial?”

“No trial will be necessary.”

“What happened to being innocent before proven guilty? The Muggles have better laws than us.”

The man who had spoken paused before saying, “Arrest him.”

Twin ropes immediately lashed him. His hands and feet were bound and his wand fell from his hands, clattering to the floor. Nine laughed to himself; this was probably the third time he had been disarmed this decade. The ministry men moved toward him with precision and skill, the wards defending them impenetrable. Nine watched as they broke down previous curses, wards and defences Nine had employed, so any escape attempt would be quickly ended. They stripped his magic and laid it bare. They grabbed his wand, held it aloft and ungracefully snapped it in half. It gave a feeble spark of light before fading to a dull grey again, never to possess magic again. Nine eyes were as cool as his broken wand now. In his home country, the breaking of a wand would often be associated with a feeling of great shame but there was no anger or embarrassment in him. Nine was a calculating man and a calculating man never struck irrationally. Nine was still smiling when they apparated away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left Kudos and/or gave up the time to read this. Next chapter should be here in a week today. If it's not (because I'm being lazy) pm me.


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